MOUNTULLA — The fellows who man the offensive line are universally known as “hogs.”

But actually they’re more like dogs.

They’re sheepdogs on pass plays, forming a cozy pocket around the quarterback. They protect him against the onrushing wolves and give him precious seconds to find an open receiver.

They must also be pit bulls when it’s time to fire off the ball, smack someone in the mouth and open a hole for a running back.

But the men of the O-line are not showdogs. They are largely anonymous. Fans match their names with their numbers only after disasters — when one of them holds, when one of them misses an assignment and the quarterback is sacked, or when a back is thrown down unceremoniously when no breach is waiting for him to prance through.

But there is also satisfaction in being an O-lineman. Because there are no good football teams at any level— from middle school to the pros — who do not have a competent offensive line. It all starts there.

One man who knows all about the O-line and its pivotal role is West Rowan head coach Scott Young. Young was a trench guy during his playing days at East Rowan High and Elon College. And he’s still a trench guy at heart. That’s why he’s not content just to be West’s head man — he’s also the day-to-day position coach for the O-line.

It hurt Young’s feelings more than a little when West’s offensive line did not function smoothly in its ugly 7-6 season-opening win over Salisbury.

“We had four of five guys back on the line and expectations were really high,” said senior center Daniel Kluttz. “But we struggled against Salisbury. They helter-skeltered us.”

Hornets came from places there weren’t supposed to be any Hornets, and Hornets came with more desire than anyone believed Hornets possessed. As a result, West’s normally solid passing game produced all of eight yards.

But Young didn’t take it lying down. The next week, he brought up a reinforcement from the jayvees in the form of sophomore guard Adam Burney. And he got vocal — as only he can.

“We got yelled at pretty good after that first game,” said right tackle Taurus Cunningham, his eyes widening at the memory. “Salisbury was rough for all of us, but since then we’ve worked hard to get better.”

And they have gotten better. All of them. Not just Kluttz, Cunningham and Burney, but All-County left tackle Matt Moore and vets Kyle Isenhour, Luis Ramos and Chris Mundy.

“Better each and every week and that’s all you can ask,” said Young.

With seven capable linemen, Young has options. Cunningham, Kluttz and Moore are constants, but Young can go with the smallish Burney (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) and Isenhour (5-10, 205) at the guards when he needs quickness, or Mundy (6-1, 250) and Ramos (5-11, 265) when he needs brute force.

There’s also an honorary eighth lineman. That’s tight end Eric Creason, whose receiving numbers for the season are zero catches for zero yards and zero touchdowns.

“Creason begs us to throw him a few passes,” said Young. “It won’t happen. In in our offense, he’s another lineman — only with an eligible number. Eric’s doing a good job as a blocker.”

Young says his O-linemen come in all shapes and dispositions.

“It’s a good mix,” he says. “We’ve got some real clowns who want to take the place of (graduated All-SPClineman and All-Universe comic) Bryan French. We’ve also got guys like Cunningham, who do their talking with their pads.”

It takes about two seconds to determine that West’s leading comedian is Moore, a 270-pound hoss on Friday nights, but a 270-pound Jerry Seinfeld during the week.

“I should be a quarterback, a fullback — anything in the world but an offensive lineman,” insists Moore.

At times, Young has allowed Moore to indulge his fantasies and play his dream positions on the scout team. “I’ll say this,” jokes Young, “Moore’s All-American scout team.”

But on Friday nights, Young needs Moore to do what he does best — hammer open holes for backs Joe Jackson and Jonathan Diggs. He’s doing it. Young says Moore has elevated his game to keep pace with Cunningham, who’s received some serious pub (as least for an O-lineman) since August 1.

“Taurus has been getting his (recognition) and justifiably so,” says Young. “But Matt’s good, too. Taurus is killing people and that’s makin’ Matt go above and beyond.”

“Aw, he’s the Taurusaurus and I’m just Matt,” groans Moore, pretending to be jealous.

Cunningham’s legend is growing. He added to it last Friday when he steamed his 270 pounds out in front of fullback Ben Hampton on a screen and leveled not one — but two — Harding defenders.

“Taurus totally demolished a guy,” said Young. “The play came back, though. The refs thought someone had clipped, because the guy that Taurus hit flew into another guy and knocked him down.”

Ouch.

“I hit who I have to hit,” says Cunningham, grinning menacingly.

Moore and Cunningham are special. So is Kluttz, even though he admits that he is 10 pounds lighter than his program weight of 180.

Blonde, tanned and wearing sandals Wednesday afternoon prior to practice, Kluttz looks distinctly unhoggish. He looks like he should be waxing his surfboard, rather than risking life and limb against man-beasts like Concord’s Z Smith and A.L. Brown’s Lee Basinger.

“I guess I get by one day at a time and I pray a lot,” he says.

“Daniel’s not flashy, but he’s good,” said Young. “He knows how to get low and use leverage. And he’s our smartest guy. He helps the young kids out and makes all the calls.”

Kluttz is wise enough to know that the guys who run the ball will always get the lion’s share of attention. But he says at West there’s mutual respect between grunts and backs.

“We’re blessed to have backs like Diggs and Jackson and Hampton,” he said. “They’re the ones with the talent. We’re just hogs opening creases for them. But the thing about our backs is every time they get interviewed, they’re quick to point out they couldn’t do it without the O-line.

“That’s why every time I look in the paper and see one of them got a hundred yards, I feel great. I was part of it. And when two of them go over a hundred like last week? Well, for a hog that’s just a dream come true.”